Scarpetta’s Scott Conant is just where he ought to be, Frank Bruni writes: right in his wheelhouse, making three-star Italian food, all of which the critic loves. But the signature spaghetti with tomato sauce gets the words Conant has been longing to hear: “I had this dish twice, and twice it stacked up against any spaghetti al pomodoro I’ve had in Italy.” [NYT]
Restaurant Girl hits Forge and swoons over some dishes while dissing others, in a two-stars-out-of-five review that suggests that the place is still working out its kinks but is on the way: “Most dishes seem to be missing one pivotal player. It’s a slightly tragic but recurring theme that unfolds over a succession of dinners.” [NYDN]
Alan Richman likes the place considerably more and sees the influence of chef Marc Forgione’s famous father, Larry, a pioneer of contemporary cooking: “Here’s the news I’m sending Dad’s way: I think the kid might turn out to be a better chef than the old man.” [Forked/GQ]
New Veritas chef Gregory Putin is no Scott Bryan, but Randall Lane doesn’t hold that against him in his four-stars-out-of-six review. On the other hand, given the restaurant’s famous wine list, the food could be a little more wine friendly. [TONY]
Paul Adams goes to, and hates, Talay on the Upper West Side, although he loved the chef’s Kuma Inn, downtown. Here, he feels, he’s muting the flavors for UWS bourgeoisie: “It’s hard not to feel a little insulted, as an uptown dweller, that the cooking at his new restaurant, Talay, aims so low.” Everything seems dull and bland to Adams. [NYS]
Andrea Thompson goes to Eighty One and finds the food elegant, delicious, and “remarkably precise.” No sociology here, no comments on luxe food in a recession — just an appreciation of Ed Brown’s cooking. [NYer]
Sakae Sushi, with its vast menu and Singaporean sensibility, is interesting to Robert Sietsema – but even he has to admit that the sushi is just so-so. [VV]
Sarah DiGregorio, now doing reviews to supplement Sietsema’s, hits haute barnyard twins Forge and Hundred Acres, and likes the former more than the latter, despite its higher price point. Hundred Acres comes off as kind of “meh” here. [VV]
Tutto il Giorno, the Italian restaurant in Sag Harbor that Scott Conant consulted on, is still really good under current chef Maurizio Marfoglia, according to Ryan Sutton. [Bloomberg]
